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Studying pervasive games is inherently difficult, and different from studying computer games. They cannot be studied as play-tests or use-cases: they must be staged under real or very realistic settings. This article builds upon our experiences of staging and studying a dozen pervasive games and other ludic pervasive technology prototypes. We discuss the challenges and customary pitfalls of evaluating pervasive games in general and the player experience specifically, and chart methods that have proven useful in our research. The aim is to provide insight into the qualitative research practise of pervasive games, providing a situated methodology of what we have found to be valuable – and what as a waste of time – in evaluating and researching pervasive play.

Authors:

Waern, A. and Stenros, J.

Published in:

In Proceedings of the Tampere Games Research Methods Seminar, 2010, April, Tampere, Finland.